About MWA

Mālama Wao Akua 2024

Celebrating its 20th year!
Mālama Wao Akua (Caring for the Realm of the Gods) is a juried art exhibition celebrating native species of Maui Nui
September 13th-November 8th

The East Maui Watershed Partnership (EMWP) in collaboration with Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center in Makawao is proud to announce its 20th annual juried art exhibition. The focus of the show is to raise awareness about native species on Maui Nui. By offering several educational opportunities in conjunction with the show we hope that artists, young and old, of Maui Nui can explore our watersheds and express the value these species have within our daily life.

The show is open to all residents of Maui Nui (Maui, Lanaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Molokaʻi).
Original artwork only. All works must be original, one of a kind (no prints or giclées), and not previously shown in an exhibition or on a website or social media (finished work) and created within the last 2 years.
All art mediums are accepted.
All ages (K-Adult) can enter.
All abilities (amateurs and professionals) are welcome to enter.
Subject must be native to Maui Nui.

Important Dates:

Exhibition Dates: September 13th-November 8th
Online Registration Open: August 20th-August Sept. 3rd
Priority Registration Deadline: Tuesday, August 27th at midnight
Artwork Receiving Day: Tuesday, Sept. 3rd from 9am-6pm at the Hui
Selection Notification: Thursday, Sept. 5th, posted by 6pm online
Blessing/Opening: Friday, September 13th 5-8pm
Juror’s Walk Through: Friday, September 13th
Pick-up of Non-selected work: Friday, September 6th 9am-4pm
Pick-up of Selected work: Saturday, November 9th 9am-4pm

Subject

The main subject of your piece(s) must be of a Maui Nui native species or a landscape highlighting Maui Nui native species. Subjects may also include people working to protect Maui’s native species and native habitats. Native coral reef species (to a depth of approx. 200ft.), waterscapes, streams and estuaries are eligible too. Extinct Maui Nui species are also acceptable. Cultural or human components in the piece are acceptable as long as they complement the major theme of native species. Mālama Wao Akua was created to raise awareness of the viewer of artwork and the artists themselves.

Artwork featuring species NOT NATIVE to Maui Nui, including Polynesian introductions, WILL NOT be accepted. Native species exclusively endemic to other islands WILL NOT be accepted. Go to the artists resources page for ideas of where to find inspiration and what is native to Maui Nui.

Remember NATIVE = arrived WITHOUT human help via the 3 W’s (wind, water, wings). It can be endemic (found only in Hawaiʻi (including Maui Nui) or indigenous (native to Hawaiʻi and elsewhere).

*If you have any questions about whether your subject is native to Maui Nui or if it is eligible, please contact EMWP at pr@eastmauiwatershed.org or call (808)268-1475.

Entry Divisions

There are 4 entry divisions:

Adult
High School (Grades 9-12)
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Elementary School (Grades K-5)

Entry Fees

Adult: $10 per piece on or before the priority registration deadline which expires at midnight on August 27th. $20 for per piece after the priority registration deadline. (max 3)
Keiki: $5 for each keiki entry (max 3)
Entries can be listed for sale or not for sale, although adult entries are encouraged to offer their work for sale. Entry fees are due online. If you need other payment options please contact the Hui.

All entry fees are non-refundable regardless if subject matter did not meet the eligibility requirements. You may contact us with the name of your native species before entry to see if it would be acceptable for the exhibit at pr@eastmauiwatershed.org.

How to Submit

The online entry form will be made available starting August 20th and will be available on the HOME page. You may fill it out up to artwork receiving day on September 3rd. Print, fill out and attach artwork label to the back of your art piece. Teachers, please see the information on how to submit below if you are entering as a class.

Before you fill out your entry form online be prepared with:

All information about you and your art piece/s
A description for each art piece that is NO MORE than 350 characters or approximately 35 words
Photo of your artwork. One image for each art piece under 5MB. This is NOT used for jurying into the exhibit
If you are a student entering, your teacher’s name and contact information
Payment

Once you fill out your entry form online, bring the following to Hui Noʻeau Visual Art Center at 2841 Baldwin Ave. in Makawao on Tuesday, September 3rd between 9:00am-6:00pm via vehicle drop off under the awning in the Hui roundabout.

Ready to hang artwork
Artwork label attached to the back right hand corer of your art piece
Completed w-9
Prepared digital high quality image to be e-mail to josephine@huinoeau.com if selected.

Artists may submit up to three (3) entries. Entries may be in any medium. Artwork must be ready for hanging or installation. No wet work, please. Framed pieces must have wire for hanging. A stretched canvas with a wrapped edge may be considered framed. Artists will be asked to install a piece if it presents special hanging requirements; for installation entries, artists must submit a detailed sketch including dimensions & special materials to be provided. Please make adequate preparation for installing more complex works; installations should be completely installed in the gallery in 6 hours or less. The Hui and its jurors reserve the right to reject works due to toxic or dangerous materials, excessive size, weight, or difficulty in presentation.

Artwork labels for all work must be printed legibly and are available for download. Works without properly completed labels WILL NOT be installed. Titles and prices will be listed as they appear on entry forms. No changes will be made by the artist after entry forms are received.

Please take a picture of your art piece before it is framed to be given to the gallery if you piece is selected. Image file must be in a LARGE file format (10 megapixel or greater, 300dpi at 8″x10″ with a resolution of 1536 x 1024 pixels minimum)

Selection & Notification

There will be no pre-qualification of eligibility of species on artwork, it is up to the artists to make sure their species is eligible for this exhibit. If you have a question on your species eligibility you may contact us prior to entry, please allow us approximately two business days for our response. Jurying will occur the following day after receiving of artwork. The jurors decide the number of works selected for exhibition (may range from 30-90 pieces). Selected entries will be posted on the website malamawaoakua.org and huinoeau.com. Non-selected pieces will need to be picked up at Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center.

We encourage artists to learn about Mālama Wao Akua (Caring for the Realm of the Gods) – honoring and protecting the forested upper regions of our islands’ watersheds. Selected artwork should be successful in sharing this knowledge with others in a meaningful and provocative way. Artwork will also be selected based upon a number of criteria, including originality of concept, creativity, technique, professionalism, and presentation.

Jurors

A jurying team with expertise in both art and conservation will select from among the entries. Find their detailed bios here.

Mike Takemoto, Visual Artist and Associate Professor of Art at UH Maui College
Kat M. Lui, Former EMWP Community Outreach and Education Liaison (2003-2009)

Awards

ADULT DIVISION:
One Juror’s Choice and Honorable Mention will be selected by each juror. (There are two jurors)
KEIKI DIVISION:
One artist from each school division will be selected for special recognition.
SPECIAL AWARDS: (Selected from the entire exhibition):
Dr. Fern P. Duvall II Rarest Find: Awarded to the artist using the most unique species or habitat as their subject.
Art of Conservation: Awarded to the artist that best captures the essence, theme or message of conservation.
People’s Choice: Awarded by votes from gallery visitors.

Commissions & Sales

Adult and Keiki entries are not required to be for sale. If your piece is sold, 45% will go to the artist and 45% to Hui Noʻeau, and a 10% donation to support EMWP. Artist may also donate a percentage or all of their commissions as a tax-deductible gift to the East Maui Watershed Partnership. Checks will be mailed 4-6 weeks after the close of the exhibition. To expedite the processing of artists’ commission checks, the Hui requests that your provide a completed W-9 form at the time of entry if one is not already on file for you. You may contact the Process Manager Josephine Bergill-Gentile prior to receiving day if you are unsure if you have one on file or have questions at (808) 572-6560 ext. 23 or josephine@huinoeau.com.

Opening and Exhibition

September 13th-November 8th

Opening Night: Friday, September 13th 5-8pm

Exhibit Events: TBD

Inspiration

Native or Not (why does it matter)??
Hawaiʻi is unique for its native species. Many plants and animals traveled thousands of miles to get here and evolved specifically to adapt to our islandsʻ environment. 90% of our native plants are found here and no where else in the world!

How can I find out what is native to Maui Nui?

Follow the NEW exhibit Instagram account @malamawaoakua
Sign up for one of our many Artists Huakaʻi curated especially for artists.
Attend or watch one of our online information session on entering the exhibit
Go on a hike or join a volunteer trip into the native forest
Read a book about native species
Visit a website with information about native species
Friend eastmauiwatershed on Facebook, Instagram @eastmauiwp and Twitter @EMWPinfo
Contact us at pr@eastmauiwatershed.org or (808)268-1475 and ask (we are friendly)
For more ideas for places to go, books to read, and websites please visit our artist resources page

Teachers

MWA is a great opportunity to build a lesson around learning about the formation of the islands and the arrival of species, while having students create native species artwork. Students can enter individually or enter as a part of a class.

Tips for teachers

Here are some tips that might help! There are three keiki divisions separated into Elementary School, Middle School, and High School. Remember, there is a $5 entry fee for each entry in the keiki division. Not all artwork entered will be selected for the exhibition. This is a CONTEST.

Consider having a contest within your class or school first, then enter the winning pieces from your contest to compete with the entries from other schools and individuals.
Invite EMWP to come as a guest speaker.  We can give an online presentation about Hawaiian rainforest ecology and answer any questions from students on what is native to Maui Nui. Visit emwp.org for other online lessons available anytime.
Check to make sure your students’ entries qualify.  Native birds, insects, plants or landscape of native species of Maui are OK. Coral reef species OK too. Polynesian introductions and other non-native species are NOT OK.

Each student submission must fill out an online entry form. Have each student put your name and contact information in the student section of the Individual Entry Form OR fill out the Teacher Entry Form to enter all your students together as a class. Please make sure each entry is display ready with a artwork label on the back.